Wind Band Composer Snapshot: Morton Gould

Morton Gould(1913-1996) American Pianist/Composer/Conductor

- child prodigy with abilities in improvisation and composition(writing at age 6)

- studied at the Institute of Musical Art(Now Julliard)

- During the Great Depression(in his teens) he worked in playing piano in movie theaters, as well as with vaudeville acts in NYC.

- When Radio City Music Hall opened(1932), he was hired as the staff pianist.



Morton Gould Circa 1941



- By 1935, he was conducting and arranging orchestral programs for New York's WOR radio station, where he reached a national audience. He combined popular music with classical.

- Was a sought after orchestral conductor in America, Canada, Mexico, Europe, Japan, and Australia. With his orchestra, he recorded music of many classical standards, including Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue on which he also played the piano.



- Grammy Award(1966) for his recording of Ives' 1st Symphony, Chicago Symphony Orchestra. - received the American Symphony Orchestra League's Gold Baton Award(1983).

- President of ASCAP(1986-1994). [American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers]

- He was adept at incorporating styles into his repertoire as they emerged, including a rapping narrator and a singing fire department into commissions for the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony.

- Received the Kennedy Center Honor in recognition of a lifetime contributions to American culture(1994).

- Posthumously award a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award(2005)



- Wrote for orchestra, film, broadway, ballet, piano, voice, and band.

Major Works for Band:

Symphony No. 4 for Band or West Point Symphony(1952) 16Min Grade VI

- In 2 movements: I. Epitaphs and II. Marches

- Premiered April 13th 1952 at West Point with the composer conducting

- A few pieces were composed for the Sesquicentennial Celebration of the US Military Academy

- inspired partly by the cemetery on the West Point grounds, was to evoke the Long Gray Line, the generations of Army soldiers on parade.

Santa Fe Saga(1956) 10min Grade V

 - commissioned by Dr. Edwin Franko Goldman

- Premiered on Mar. 9, 1956 at the American Bandmasters Convention in Santa Fe, New Mexico

- 4 distinct sections “Rio Grande”, “Round-up”, “Wagon Train”, and “Fiesta”

- Was collaboration with ballet choreographer. Elliot Feld.

- Based upon the sounds of folk life in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Prisms(1963)

- Commissioned by Dr. William D. Revelli, University of Michigan for CBDNA

- Premiered1962, with the composer conducting the Indiana University Symphonic Band.

- In 5 movments: I. Slow, mysterious,II. Moving exaltedly, III. Moving forcefully, IV. Slow—quietly vibrant, V. Brisk-fleeting.

Mini-Suite for Band(1968) 4:30Min Grade II

- 3 Movements: I. Birthday March, II. A Tender Waltz, III. Bell Carol

- Transcribed from piano works written for his pre-teen daughters, Abby and Deborah

- Music for young band by a master composer



Gould Conducting the LA Phil at the Hollywood Bowl

"Composing is my life blood." - Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Morton Gould

Wind Band Composer Snapshot: Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Willliams(1872-1958) English 20th Cty Composer/Conductor
- composed symphonies, chamber music, opera, choral music, and film scores.
- collected of English folk music(over 800 songs) and used them in compositions.
- attended the Royal College of Music where he met Holst in 1895
- Served in WW I as stretcher carrier, named Director of Music, First Army.
- The bulk of his major works are his 9 symphonies, yet his contribution to the wind world is important.
- He is considered, along with Holst and Jacob, to be one of the British Band Masters

The first page of the Score

Major Wind Works:
English Folk Song Suite (1923) 10:30Min Grade V
- Full military Band Instrumentation
- 3 movements: March-Seventeen Come Sunday(title song, Pretty Caroline,and Dives and Lazarus), Intermezzo-My Bonny Boy(and Greenbushes), and March- Folk Songs from Somerset(blow away the Morning Dew, High Germany, The Tree So High, and John Barleycorn)
- Gordon Jacob arranged this suite for orchestra.
- Its world premiere was given at Kneller Hall on July 4, 1923 in London.
- Made known in the US by the 1957 Fennell Eastman WE recording.
- Most of the 9 melodies appear first in solo lines making it a great piece to showcase multiple players.

Sea Songs (1923) 4 min Grade III
- Originally part of the aforementioned suite as the second movement, there is some debate on this, but I believe it to be quite plausible..
- based on folk songs Princess Royal, Admiral Benbow and Portsmouth.
- written for the band of the Royal Military School of Music

Toccata Marziale (1924) Meaning “Martial(soldierly) Toccata” 5 min VI
- Full military band instrumentation.
- broke away from the concept of the military band original repertoire being mainly a vehicle for ceremonial purposes.
- extensive use of counterpoint and dynamic ranges(like Hammersmith, maybe an influence on Holst because of their relationship?)
- 158 measures based on one motive that is developed into 5 additional themes. Great study in balance of melody/counter melody.
- Fennell has a “Basic Band Repertory” essay on it(Instrumentalist 1976)

Ralph as a Young Man

Scherzo alla Marcia(1956) for Chamber Winds 4min Grade IV(MD)

- This an extracted movement(2^nd) from Symphony #8 The first uses full orchestra, second winds, third strings, fourth all.
- Instrumentation: fl, pic, ob I/II, 2 clar, 3 bsn, 2 horns, 2 tpts, 3 tbns
 
Other Works of Significance:
- Variations for Wind Band (1957) arr. Hunsberger(1988) originally for orchestra 14Min Grade VI
- Rhosymedre (1920) Trans. Beeler(1972) 4min Grade IV

Oh, and by the way...make sure you pronounce it Rafe, not Ralph. It'll help you sound like a learned band nerd!

While it is not an in-depth scholarly article I hope it is of use. If you have suggestions for composers/conductors you'd like to see, or information you think it relevant feel free to comment or send me an email,  k.freesen@gmail.com I'm always ready to talk about the art of wind band.

Wind Band Composer Snapshot: Norman Dello Joio

Norman Dello Joio(1913-2008) American Composer/Organist

- Parents were Italian immigrants(father organist/opera coach) in NYC
- began career as organist/choir director at the Star of the Sea Church on City Island in New York at age 14.
- Attended Juilliard(1939) studying organ and composition(BM, MM) on scholarship.
- studied with Hindemith at Tanglewood(1941), huge influence on his compositional style.

Norman Dello Joio

- Hindemith told Dello Joio, "Your music is lyrical by nature, don’t ever forget that." Dello Joio states that, although he did not completely understand at the time, it meant: "Don’t sacrifice necessarily to a system, go to yourself, what you hear. If it’s valid, and it’s good, put it down in your mind. Don’t say I have to do this because the system tells me to.”
- Compositions include choral works, orchestral, wind band, solo voice, chamber works, concertos, piano pieces, ballets, 2 masses, operas, and film scores.
- Taught at Sarah Lawrence College, the Mannes College of Music, and was Professor of Music and Dean of the Fine and Applied Arts School of Boston University(1972-1978).
- Directed the Ford Foundation’s Contemporary Music Project(1959-1973), which placed young composers in high schools who were salaried to compose music for school ensembles and programs.

Circa 1964

Major Works for Band:

Variants on a Mediaeval Tune (1963) 11:40 Min Grade VI
- Commissioned by the Mary Duke Biddle Foundation for the Duke University band.
- Variations based on the tune “In Dulci Jubilo”
- Introduction/Theme and 5 variations
- Harmonic structure doesn’t reflect a past era
- Not a standard theme and variation form as each movement could be free-standing.
- Dello Joio was 50 years old when he wrote his first band piece.

Scenes from the Louvre “Based on Ancient Airs”(1966) 10Min Grade 5
- Commissioned by the Baldwin Wallace College Symphonic Band
- 5 movements: The Portals, Children's Gallery, Kings of France, Nativity Paintings, Finale
- Premiered March 13 1966 with the composer conducting
- Written as soundtrack for a documentary of the Louvre museum(France). It was orchestral in nature first.
- Winner of Emmy Award for Best Score for a Television Production.

Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn(1968) 14:30min Grade VI
- 3 movements: Theme and Fantasy I, Fantasy II, Fantasy III.
- commissioned by the MSBOA and dedicated to Mr. Leonard Falcone, Director of Bands at Michigan State University, upon his retirement.
- This work for band is based on a theme from a composition for piano by Joseph Haydn.

Satiric Dances (For a Comedy by Aristophanes) (1975) 7Min Grade V
- In 3 movements: Allegro Pesante, Adagio Mesto, Allegro Spumante
- Commissioned in commemoration of the Bicentennial of April 19, 1775 by the Concord Band, Massachusetts; William Toland, Music Director.
- It was a piece he had used as background music for a comedy by Aristophanes.
- features Mediterranean folk dance influences
- Performance Note: There should not be break between the final two movements

Other works of note(pieces based other works of Dello Joio)
From Every Horizon, A Tone Poem to New York – Music from his film score(Every Horizon)
Song of Abelard – Baritone solo and band – Trans from his ballet "Time of Snow"
Caccia – Trans. Of his Diversions No. 3 for orchestra
Colonial Ballads – 6 mov taken from his 13 movement Colonial Variants for Orchestra
The Dancing Sargeant – Transcription from Five Images for orchestra and piano versions.
Metaphrase – Original 12-tone band work, based on Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost”
City Profiles – Trans from New York Profiles for orchestra. For the Keystone WE, Jack Stamp.

Dello Joio's Obiturary from 2008 
When a major composer passes on, it sets off a series of concerts featuring his music as an homage to the composer. I hope this causes a bit of a resurgence in the in the programming of his works for wind band as directors and teacher are reminded of the wonderful literature he has left us.

It's Really February?

Well the post below is the February Blog Carnival so I guess it must be true. I can't tell you how quickly January came and went. I really enjoyed the challenges of January after the LONG break. Wright State takes a break from Thanksgiving to New Years, so other than the basketball games I didn't have a whole lot going on. Then these three events hit!

Conducting the Fight Song after the Win over Butler

First the biggest weekend(so far) of college basketball where we played Valpo and Butler on our home court. Have I mentioned that I love being the Athletic Band Director for a Div I basketball team? How many grad students get that wonderful opportunity? Anyway we split the weekend losing to Valpo and beating Butler. The win against conference rivals, Butler was something I'll remember. We combined both bands and had almost 70 members all in uniform, playing and cheering all night. There were just 9,000 fans in attendance. The feeling of raising my hands for the Star Spangled Banner and having all those people come to their feet was amazing. The whole game was electric really, all the way down to the Vaughn Duggins buzzer beater and the crowd rushing the court. I hope an NCAA or NIT bid is on the way...I would love to take my band on that adventure. I have such a vision for where I can take this group in my two year appointment.

Dr. Booth, Myself, and Professor Ponto 

Then we had Tri-State Honor Band. I had been putting the details of the honor band in place since October, but this weekend it all came together. Professor Robert Ponto was in From Oregon to work with kids from Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio on our campus. I loved hanging with the guest conductor and organizing the event as well as playing for the HS kids in the Wind Symphony. Dr. Booth may call me a nerd, but I'm glad I'm detailed, the whole thing seemed to go off without a hitch. I'm working on making a handbook to TSHB to pass down after next year.

After TSHB 2011 was capped off by a 5AM drive with Ponto to the airport, I focused on IMEA. The return to Illinois to present a clinic with Keith Ozsvath was great. We spoke to a room of fellow music educators about how to use Twitter and Facebook to have your own 24/7 Professional Development. Not everyone got into it, remember that "acquaintance" lady? Overall, the reception was great and I need to start looking into what I am going to propose for next year. It's like an addiction, I just can't get enough time to praise the use of technology to make us better teachers. Of course the other side is I got to go to all kinds of clinics and learn for myself. I really loved two of the clinics that had demonstration bands, one about new approaches to ensemble tuning, and the other about teaching musicality and expression. Inspiring! Seeing friends with Jes was a lot fun and it makes me wonder where will land after these couple of years in Ohio. What should I propose for the session next year? Ideas?

In personal news. The wedding train is chugging along thanks to my diligent future wife. She cuts through her to do list like none other. We've done engagement photos, bought her band, ordered invitations in the last month. I'm sure there's more, but that's what comes to mind. Oh and I've got the website up and running.

It's all great and I've enjoyed taking a bit of time this evening to put it together. Next week is a conducting workshop with Dr. Stephen Davis from UMKC at Ball State with Dr. Thomas Caneva. Better get back to studying my Holst and Dello Joio scores! Have a great night and make sure to share your blogs with me. I'd love to read what's going on out there.